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Web Content Publishing Schedule

Section 207(f)(2) of the E-Government Act of 2002 requires federal agencies to develop an inventory of information to be published on their Web sites, establish a schedule for publishing information, make those schedules available for public comment, and post the schedules and priorities on the Web site.

Independent Reviews

Surveys

2015 Urban Agriculture Pilot Study

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is conducting the 2015 Urban Agriculture Pilot Study in Baltimore, Maryland. This study will help quantify agriculture activities in Baltimore, Maryland and prepare for the next Census of Agriculture program. All U.S. agriculture production is important for our nation’s food security, including products grown in rural areas and urban areas. Ensuring that all agriculture activities are accounted for in the next Agricultural Census will help provide the most complete picture of agriculture on which to base agricultural policy, program, and funding decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

The 2015 Urban Agriculture Pilot Study is the first study of its kind being conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). NASS produces official government statistics on nearly every part of U.S. agriculture, but has not previously collected statistics specifically on urban agriculture. This study will help NASS determine whether the U.S. Census of Agriculture can more accurately account for urban agriculture in the future and how best to collect the data.

The 2015 Urban Agriculture Pilot Study provides the first opportunity for NASS to contact individuals and entities involved in urban agriculture for a survey. NASS will contact a sample of 390 people for this effort.

If you were selected, NASS may have gathered your information from a number of sources. These sources include public lists of urban producers and permits for urban agricultural activity; an evaluation of public high-resolution satellite imagery to help locate green spaces within the city limits; research via social media on urban agriculture in Baltimore, etc.

Your participation in this study is vital. Ensuring that all agriculture activities are accounted for in the 2017 Census will help provide the most complete picture of agriculture on which to base agricultural policy, program, and funding decisions.

Urban farms, community gardens, roof-top gardens, and school-based gardens offer a multitude of benefits to their surrounding areas. Benefits of urban agriculture include:

In late June, NASS will mail letters providing information about the Urban Agriculture Pilot Project to people in Baltimore who may potentially be involved in agricultural activity. For the month of July, a representative with NASS will visit some of those who received a letter to gather information for the study. The survey will be conducted in person to ask questions and to learn about your involvement in urban agriculture.

All NASS interviewers will have a photo ID. If they miss you, they may leave a note behind to help arrange an appointment that is convenient for you.

Absolutely. You are guaranteed by law (Title 7, U.S. Code) that your individual information will be kept confidential. NASS uses the information only for statistical purposes. The report cannot be used for purposes of taxation, investigation, or regulation. The privacy of your individual record is also protected from Freedom of Information Act requests.

No. This study is voluntary. If selected, we hope you will participate and be part of NASS’s first effort to determine the best way to account for urban agriculture in the city of Baltimore, Maryland and potentially the United States.

The data collected during the 2015 Urban Agriculture Pilot Project will be used for internal purposes only. The information will help NASS evaluate and plan next steps for the census of agriculture program and measuring urban agriculture.